Polk County, North Carolina
Polk County, North Carolina, has 20,533 residents (July 2025 estimate). Its county seat is Columbus. It uses Eastern Time and covers 238 sq mi (616 km²) of land.
- Resident population, July 2025
- 20,533
- Land area
- 238 sq mi (616 km²)
- County seat or government
- Columbus
- Time zone
- Eastern TimeUTC-05:00 in January; UTC-04:00 in July
- Median household income
- $67,758 ± $6,109
- Median home value
- $315,000 ± $21,515
- Median rent, with utilities
- $1,178 ± $119
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76.9% ± 2.9 points
- County type
- County
- Metro or micro area
- Outside any metro or micro areaNext to: Forest City, NC micro area, Spartanburg, SC metro area, Asheville, NC metro area, and Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC metro area
- Water area
- 0.76 sq mi (1.96 km²)
- State
- North Carolina
- County code (FIPS)
- 37149
- Coordinates (central point)
- 35.277901, -82.167621
These coordinates mark a central point for the area, not a street address. Income, home value, rent and homes lived in by their owners: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates, ± margin at 90% confidence; checked on October 13, 2026.
Time zones in Polk County
| Time zone | Local time and UTC offset | Next clock change |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern TimeAmerica/New_York | UTC-05:00 in January; UTC-04:00 in July. Enable JavaScript for the live clock. | Enable JavaScript for upcoming changes. |
Near a time-zone line, check where you are with the time-zone finder. Your phone’s setting can differ.
ZIP Code areas, largest first
- 2879236,645 people
- 2813920,008 people
- 287318,672 people
- 287826,519 people
- 287226,086 people
- 287564,706 people
- 287733,441 people
7 ZIP Code areas overlap Polk County. People counts are 2020–2024 estimates for each whole ZIP area. Mailing ZIPs can differ; check an address with USPS ZIP Code Lookup.
Official county information
We don’t have a website for this county yet. The US government’s local-office directory ↗ lists its offices. A geographic lookup cannot determine eligibility, tax liability or a court obligation.
Townships in Polk County, largest first
- Columbus Township6,590 people
- Tryon Township4,039 people
- Green Creek Township2,832 people
- White Oak Township2,397 people
- Cooper Gap Township2,214 people
- Saluda Township1,819 people
People counts are American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates. All townships in North Carolina, by county
School districts in Polk County, largest first
- Polk County Schools19,891 people
Districts with land in the county; a district can cross county lines. People counts are American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates. A district boundary doesn’t decide which school a student attends.
Cities, towns and communities, largest first
These areas overlap the mapped boundary; an overlap does not mean that every address belongs to both.
- Tryon, North Carolina (town)1,810 people
- Columbus, North Carolina (town)1,071 people
- Saluda, North Carolina (city)683 people
Bordering areas, nearest first
Distances are straight lines between map points.
- Rutherford County, North Carolina16 mi northeast
- Henderson County, North Carolina18 mi west
- Spartanburg County, South Carolina26 mi southeast
- Greenville County, South Carolina29 mi southwest
Before using this answer on a form
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